[Wolfie]

Another disturbing aspect of the deteriorating labor pool pertains to drug use.

You mean the Nanny State hasn't fixed that yet?

[SMARTY]

"We have literally bred and "educated" the work ethic out of our children."

If you have ever worked with young people, you have daily and dramatic reminders of this fact. We had a student assistant who all but went into tears when he was asked to do anything...even if you were only reminding him of work he was specifically hired and paid to do. He would never do anything unless he was asked at least two or three times. He NEVER had a full pay and would call off or call in late at least twice a week. Once, he called off about 40 minutes before the end of his 4 hour shift. He told me he passed up a temporary, summer job which would have paid him about triple what he made here just because they wanted him to get a hair cut. I asked him where it was, I would have taken it myself. I couldn't figure out if he was stupid or lazy, but I guess it was both.

[Sam the Sham]

Does anyone outsource blue collar jobs ?

No. It is white collar jobs that are outsourced. And anyone who tells me that it is because American engineers and programmers are illiterate druggies is full of it.

[Sam the Sham]

And as for this "deteriorating labor pool", any American with anything on the ball chooses to go to college. Over the past 30 years the economic lot of blue collar workers relative to white collar workers has worsenned. So what do you expect ? A steady brain drain from blue collar to white collar careers.